Devil From The Heavens
by Entropic Horizon
Summary: It is said that in the time before the creation of the Hidden Villages, the Sage of Six Paths encountered a wounded giant that claimed to have the power to destroy planets. Many considered this to be a myth; Madara didn't. Especially since he just cracked open its prison...
1. Chapter 1: Legend For Another Tale

**Devil From The Heavens**

_Chapter 1: Legend For Another Tale_

**Author's Note:** Fair warning to anyone coming over from my other Broly story, this is a far different take on the Saiyan. Other than that, welcome to my newest story...

* * *

Pain.

_Unimaginable_ **_pain_**.

It forced him to crawl like some pathetic bug that just wasn't squished properly.

Come to think of it, crawling was too _noble_ to describe the way he dragged his crippled body to the pod he had miraculously discovered.

And all this was because of that final blow from that blasted _Kakarot_.

Broly growled as he forced the thought away from him. He needed all of his concentration to get to his pod now; he'll have time to hate Kakarot later.

Moments later, just as Comet Camori was about to hit New Planet Vegeta, the injured Saiyan managed to climb inside his saving grace and punched the launch button. Whatever coordinates had been saved in the computer's memory banks will just have to do.

The pod lifted off the surface of the world and shot off in a random direction just as New Planet Vegeta met its demise.

In another time, the pod avoids any debris and makes its escape without a hitch but not here.

The Saiyan felt a massive jolt as a piece of the planet hit his ship and caused several alarms to go off.

"**Warning**." Came the feminine voice of the navigation systems. "**Hull damage severe and leaking fuel. Adjusting course for nearest planet**."

Broly, not conscious enough to care and with a slowly developing migraine from the alarms, could not have been more thankful when the hyper sleep functions of the pod activated.

* * *

"**Warning, warning.**"

The bloodstained man was violently shaken awake as his ship seemingly hit a massive wall of turbulence.

"**Hull damage severe. Catastrophic failure imminent.**"

Broly braced himself using the armrests of his chair as the pod shook intensely once again. The agony from his partially healed wound shocked him to a fully awakened state.

If he had to guess, something important had just broken off.

With a last jerk that gave the Saiyan some whiplash, the power systems failed.

Now that his mind was in full working order, it was only then did the self-proclaimed devil notice just how warm his cabin had become; the glass in front of him cracked.

"Just my luck." Growled the Saiyan just as he lifted his arms to block his face. The window imploded and showered his body with glass before the ship itself fell apart.

From below, an elderly man with violet, ringed eyes witnessed the strange spectacle in the sky. The shining meteor had split into pieces and was promptly consumed by flames but from the seeming destruction of the celestial object, he bore witness to a strange, but clearly human, shape falling to the earth.

Hagoromo, intrigued by this twist, grabbed his shakujo and flew over to where he estimated the 'person' would crash.

The impact sight was a ten foot crater in the middle of a nondescript forest that was a little less than half as deep. In the center, with skin scorched and clothes blackened, lay a block of muscle that resembled a man appearing no more older than in his mid-thirties with a grievous hole in his abdomen.

It was with a hesitant curiosity that he noted the area was bathed in an ethereal glow that emanated from the bloody figure.

His base instincts told him to keep his distance since anything that could survive a fall from that height and still create such a display must be powerful but his principles would not allow him to let something like that go unhealed.

So he compromised.

The Sage landed next to the emerald haired man with a soft 'tck' and promptly kneeled by him. Hagoromo put a hand encased in green chakra onto the injury. It was mere moments before the wound was healed enough to not be of immediate danger but it was still crippling.

Compromise.

Hagoromo took his hand away and looked over the young man once more. He wore golden boots, wristbands, and a belt that were all embedded with blue jewels. The rest of his attire consisted of white pants and a red sash.

_'Is he royalty?' _Thought the Sage as he began to feel for the stranger's power. His earlier conclusion was proven correct since the air around his body was saturated by something that was not chakra.

_'It's ki.' _He noted with surprise. Ki users were extremely rare in this world and were well known for their hellish ability to unleash massive waves of pure destruction as well as outstanding feats such as flight. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on one's perspective, he figured), most ki wielders were brutish and overconfident due to their seemingly unparalleled power.

Only the wise few survived past their first battles and, as a result, their numbers, and those willing to learn such techniques, dwindled by the day.

A groan brought his attention back to the man in the crater.

"Ka...Kaka-..." The man's body tensed and a gargantuan wave of power burst from his body, increasing the size of the crater tenfold in an instant. A quick use of a Shinra Tensei on Hagoromo's part was able to cancel out the section of the shock wave that would've sent him flying away. "KAKAROT!"

_'I believe I have made a grave error...' _Thought the Sage as he floated to what he believed to be a safe distance from the most likely very dangerous man.

"RRRRAAAAAAAA!"

With white hot pain clearly evident across his face, the giant pushed himself onto his feet and then rose into the air until he was level with the elderly man. He looked around, obviously disoriented from his near death experience, and his eyes landed on the only other living being nearby.

"Kakarot! Where is KAKAROT?!" He thundered at the Rinnegan wielder through heavy breaths. The giant then hunched over slightly with a grunt before he put a hand to his abdomen and hissed from the contact

Hagoromo, mouth now a thin line, subtly tightened his grip on his shakujo as he hardened his body with the Asura Path. "I am...not aware of anyone by that name." His eyes drifted down to the stranger's wound. "Your priority however should be the gaping cavity that now takes up most of your torso."

The injured man snarled as his aura intensified which blew away some loose rock on the ground below him. "My priority is Kakarot! Now tell me where he is or I will destroy this miserable rock you call a planet!"

The Sage gave the man a skeptical look. Destroy an entire planet? Impossible. Even _he_ was incapable of such a feat...though it _would_ be presumptuous to believe there is no one stronger than him living among the stars.

_ 'He might be delusional but it would be foolish to not consider the possibility he is capable of what he boasts.' _The God of Shinobi concluded in his mind.

The pupil-less stranger charged the old man with a roar, crossing the distance between them in an instant. Hagoromo's godly reflexes allowed him to barely dodge the blow and he shifted away a fair distance away to avoid a follow up attack. He reached up to his cheek to find that it had been warped by the force of the missed blow though it was quickly returned to its original state.

"You're only prolonging your death, you WORM!" He shouted as he swung his right arm at the Sage releasing a head sized ball of ki in his direction. The attack seemed to simply pass through the Rinnegan user though that was simply a clever use of a couple Kamuis on the Sage's part.

The thunderclap of the explosion that occurred behind him though shook him deeply.

He tilted his head slightly to get a view of the damage and what he saw was simply incomprehensible. A crater, easily miles wide, rested where there were once hundreds of trees and most likely thousands of animals.

The only ones he could think of that had a comparable level of power were his mother and the Ten Tails.

It was but a moment but the distraction was long enough for Hagoromo to end up eating dirt with several broken ribs to boot. The punch would've ran right through him had it not been for his Asura Path.

The giant was on him in the blink of an eye with his arm already in mid swing but elder of the two had regained his wits in time to release a swift Shinra Tensei that held just enough power to push the fist away from the Sage. Thinking quickly, Hagoromo willed the bottom end of his shakujo to snap off and mold into a ball that slammed itself into his opponent's wound.

The ki wielder, wholly unprepared for the surprise counter attack, was thrown back several yards with a cry of pain. The Truth Seeking Ball pulled away from his now reopened wound and returned to the Sage's shakujo. The man writhed on the ground with an arm on his injury and bit back anymore outcries of weakness. "I'll...I'll..." He coughed up a sizable amount of blood. "I'll _kill_ you for that!"

Hagoromo straightened himself out and put up a strong front despite his broken ribs. The man was a brute from the looks of things so a good bluff on his part may demoralize him...

"You're in no shape to make threats. My Truth Seeking Ball has aggravated your already critical condition." The elderly man willed half a dozen of the black spheres into existence in the air behind him to drive him his next point. "I do not wish for you to die."

"Hehe..." The man wiped away the blood on his chin with a casual wipe of his hand as he rose to his feet in a smoother fashion than earlier. It was obvious to the Sage however that the man was hiding the agony he felt. The subtle twitches here and there might as well have been a massive neon sign dictating so to one such as him. "Do you really believe a weakling such as you can stand up to me?! Broly, the Legendary Super Saiyan?!"

_'So that's his name...'_ Thought the elder of the two.

"You can't hide your pain from me, Broly. Stop now and end this pointless conflict peacefully or I'll be forced to take more drastic measures."

The "Super Saiyan", as he identified himself as, charged him once again in a fit of rage though at a noticeable slower pace than before. Five of the Truth Seeking Balls rushed forward to meet him head on but instead of hitting flesh and bone, the Balls were deflected away by a shield of ki.

The green haired giant landed a hammer of a fist in Hagoromo's abdomen that caused his back to bulge out and the Sage to cough out blood. A right uppercut hit his chin an instant later knocking his brain around the inside of his skull which was followed up by a knee to his stomach that bent him over. That one definitely added ruptured organs to his already broken ribs.

The Saiyan ended his assault with an elbow the the elder's back that was accompanied by a loud cracking sound and sent him falling to the earth. To add insult to injury (along with more injury), Broly caught up to his falling body and slammed a boot into Hagoromo's back which definitely _broke_ something. The Sage was too disoriented to even guess the extent of his injuries.

Broly began to laugh as he seemingly gained the upper hand but a sharp pain shot through his abdomen. He doubled over and wrapped his arms around his open wound; never before had he felt this level of _agony_.

Despite this, he had to go on. He would not, _could not_, let this humiliation against him stand.

The Rinnegan wielder groaned as the various broken bones and ruptured organs in his body began to heal; the kick to his back had definitely left his lower body paralyzed for the moment. Five direct blows from his beast of an opponent was all it took to injure him to such an extent. Even Kaguya and the Ten Tails had failed to hurt him so.

He had to finish this _now_.

Quickly spotting Broly, Hagoromo lifted a hand towards him and a black ball of chakra formed. It flew off and whizzed past the currently distracted Saiyan before it stopped a couple hundred feet above him.

"**Chibaku Tensei (Planetary Devastation)**."

A bright white glow illuminated the scarred landscape once more. Cracks broke its surface for miles as mountain sized chunks of earth were torn from the planet in an awesome display of the Sage's power.

Broly found himself being forcibly yanked upwards by a mysterious force. He looked upwards to where he was being dragged and saw a small sphere that was apparently gathering not just him but everything that could be pulled free from the earth- even if that was the earth itself.

The Super Saiyan resisted against the pull even but the slabs of stone that broke against him pushed him closer and closer with every impact. Had he really been weakened to the point that simple boulders were capable of moving him?

It became too much for the emerald giant and he was slammed into the now sizable orb of rock and dirt with such force that a flash of white filled his vision. It was mere moments until he was buried under hundreds of tons of the planet's surface.

Hagoromo stared at his new construct with a combination of relief and disappointment. The raw hatred and anger pouring from the man was near suffocating but he could tell that he was warped to become this way. If one were to look closely enough like he did, they would see the sick amalgamation of negative emotions that swirled around in the man's head.

Betrayal, loneliness, frustration, unfulfilled needs, and...fear.

All buried underneath the murderous rage he showed in the fight.

Was Kakarot responsible for what he saw today? This insatiable wrath? This seemingly...unburdened fury? It was clear that something had prevented the man from properly expressing his emotions until recently where it was all released at once.

His thoughts were interrupted when a colossal fissure appeared on the sphere that eclipsed most of the sky above. Two angry emerald orbs looked upon him from deep within the crack and suddenly Hagoromo felt small. Helpless even.

This was arguably his greatest attack and this alien enemy endured it.

Broly crawled out of the gaping scar with the last reserves of his strength. His hulking mass was reduced to that of a young, lanky man and his still golden, spiked hair lacked the green tinge. The clothes and horrendous torso wound were the only things identifying him as the same being that crashed to the earth mere minutes before.

The Super Saiyan looked to the planet and made eye contact with the Sage of Six Paths. He took a sick pleasure from seeing the utter shock that played across his enemy's face as he lifted an open palm towards him.

"I will not stop..." He gulped a lungful of air as everything within view took on a sickly green color that quickly condensed into the palm of the Saiyan's outstretched hand. "...until you and this planet are ashes among the stars!"

Broly roared from the inhuman effort of stabilizing his Omega Blaster before his golden hair suddenly became limp and the color of ravens. The ball of ki then fizzled out and the man fell forward unconscious with his lower half still stuck within the crevice he created.

Hagoromo, realizing that his opponent was finally out for the count, let himself fall back and lay down on the cold, hard ground with a sigh of relief.

The battle may have been brief but he'll be damned if it wasn't intense.

He gazed upon the corpse like form of his opponent and the large ball that he failed to escape from.

As it stood, he could not help the man. While the Sage was sympathetic, it would take years, perhaps decades, before Broly could be healed mentally.

Time he knew he did not have in this world.

It was with a reluctant sigh that he decided that ki wielder had to be sealed away. Hagoromo might not be able to heal him but hopefully a descendant of his will.

* * *

**_Present Time_**

Madara looked up at the sphere with his lone Sharingan and a near overwhelming sense of awe flared up within him.

The surface of the ball of rock looked almost alive as black shapes, symbols, and innumerable kanji crawled along with some randomly disappearing and reappearing like schools of fish diving to avoid invisible predators.

He, along with Nagato's Deva Path, was standing at the bottom of the largest cavern the shinobi had ever seen. The ceiling was thousands of feet above their heads and the actual room they were in was several miles wide. To add to that, nearly every surface in the cave had dozens of massive seals whose subtle glow waned and waxed with each passing moment.

All to hide and contain one 'Saiyan' as the Sage's tablet identified him.

"The Sage never ceases to amaze me..." Muttered the Deva Path as he looked over everything for any hints of writing left by the Sage. His tablet, which revealed the location of this monumental prison, could only be deciphered by the Rinnegan so it stands to reason that any important messages here would follow the same rules but he saw nothing that stood out.

The only sign that Madara even heard Pain was a subtle nod in agreement as he too inspected the orb in front of him with his Mangekyo. "The tablet stated that only a wielder of the Rinnegan can free this 'Broly' from his prison, correct?" Stated Madara as he continued to stare at the sphere.

"Yes."

"Well then, what are you waiting for?"

With a nod, Pain put a hand to the sphere as instructed in the tablet and the reaction was instant. A multitude of differing seals gathered around his hand and proceeded to melt into a substance that appeared to be somewhere between a liquid and a gas. The material was so dark it was like that the dim light in the cavern was afraid to touch it.

In the next few moments, it crawled up the Deva Path's arm and gathered around his eyes before the substance evaporated an instant later. A gentle hum permeated the air in the massive room as the rest of the seals on the orb peeled off and disappeared while a potent shock wave burst forth from the stone monument.

The Deva Path, unfazed by the display, made his way back to his leader's side while Madara simply continued to watch like it was a rather interesting stage play rather than the releasing of a supposedly planet busting criminal.

All of a sudden, the ball split apart into two large halves that fell away from each other revealing a lanky, raven haired man. He was slowly let down from his position in the air by some unseen force but once he touched down, it seemed to let go which caused him to stumble forward and fall to his knees and hands.

He was just as described on the tablet in terms of attire as well as the three seals on him: one that encompassed his back, another over his heart, and a final on his forehead.

Broly blinked the grogginess out of his eyes and groaned. It felt like he had been asleep for weeks and his body simply forgot how to properly wake up.

Come to think of it, how long was he out? The last thing he remembered was that blasted old man crushing him under who knows how many tons of the planet's surface.

The Saiyan looked up to see two ridiculous looking men in black cloaks with red clouds. One had orange hair, black piercings everywhere, and purple, ringed eyes. The other wore an orange, spiral mask, black hair, and one red eye with some strange markings in them.

He moved his gaze from the two men to the environment where all he saw was stone with _more_ strange markings.

What the hell was going on?

"What..." He coughed several times; his throat was beyond dry. Clearing it with a few grunts, he continued. "Where am I?" He demanded from the two. When they didn't respond, he growled and pushed himself onto his feet. "If you don't answer my question..!"

"**Shinra Tensei (Almighty Push)**."

Broly felt an invisible wall of _something_ slam into him and found himself on his back while a pounding pain racked his body.

"Now, now, no need for such roughness, Pain." Said the masked one as he made his way around Broly's body and stood by his head. "He's delicate right now." The masked man added with a chuckle which earned him a severe glare from the recently freed Saiyan.

"You'll be the first to die."

Madara merely chuckled at the brashness of the Saiyan and stomped a foot on his chest as his Sharingan seemed to gain an ethereal glow to them. Broly, confusion running rampant through him as he appeared incapable of escaping from under the masked man's foot, looked up at the man to demand answers but before he could get a word out, the seal on his forehead flashed white for an instant and Broly's eyes took on a red hue while they gained three tomoe.

The lanky Saiyan stopped struggling.

"Get up, Broly."

The Saiyan did as the Uchiha commanded without hesitation nor complaint.

* * *

**_In Broly's Mind_**

Broly looked around in a rarely displayed panic. He was in a massive, poorly lit room that he had never seen before with two black monoliths to his sides.

Chains coming these towering structures were wrapped around his body and constricted him in a manner not unlike a straight jacket. Manacles around his ankles and neck kept him rooted to the floor in a kneeling position.

The only part of him capable of movement was his head and eyes.

_'T-this isn't happening!'_ He closed his eyes and attempted to calm his breathing. It was a nightmare; it had to be! He just gained his freedom from his father! Once he opened his eyes, he would still be sitting in the pod with that annoying nav computer.

Broly's hopes were crushed in the next moment.

"No!" He screamed in despair as he tried to pull himself free by thrashing around as much as he could. It was to no avail. "I am sleeping in a pod! Half-dead from that damned Kakarot! NOT! HERE!" He pulled back against the restraint on his neck to the point that he felt something pop but the chain refused to even make a sound in protest.

**Get up, Broly.**

The Saiyan stopped his struggle and looked around as the booming voice reverberated throughout his newest cage. Up in the air above him was a monitor-like apparition that he could only assume was the outside view from his eyes. It was the masked man.

**Come on, Nagato; I must discuss a change of plans with you back in Ame. You're coming along too, Broly.**

This was his father and the crown all over again.

His vision blurred; something small hit the floor of the most recent of his cages. Broly looked down and saw a small drop of a clear liquid.

He'd never considered himself capable of tears.


	2. Chapter 2: Emergence

**Devil From The Heavens**

_Chapter 2: Emergence_

* * *

_Quick Note: Did a heavy rewrite of this chapter. More info at the bottom._

* * *

There were numerous possibilities for what they could encounter when the Hokage sent them out; this was not one of them. All around the squad of ANBU, writing looked as if it had been burned into every surface within the cavern and on the shattered sphere that took up residence in the center. A feat made more impressive by the fact that the gaping maw of earth they were standing in had an actual horizon.

"Eel, stay by the entrance and let no one though. Hare, look for any additional entrances. Eagle, you and I are going to see what we can scrounge up before anyone else gets here."

The three acknowledged him with a collective 'Hai!' before Eel and Hare went off to do their jobs.

Boar, the squad leader, looked over the room and sighed internally though nothing in his body language portrayed such thoughts. Their sensors had detected an intense burst of chakra, more of an explosion really due to the scale of said event, and the Godaime quickly dispatched them to investigate. It didn't help that it was in Yu No Kuni which meant that it was a possibility that Kumo had detected the chakra as well.

So this was supposed to be a quick in-and-out to gather some idea of what had happened here but anything comprehensive was simply not going to be the case given what they were dealing with.

"We must move quick. Kumo could be on us at anytime."

The two separated to what they believed would be the most relevant areas of study. Eagle went to a curiously worn down path while Boar investigated a strange opening in the rocks.

The ANBU captain did a cursory review of the immediate vicinity and noticed a pair of faint foot prints. Nothing else that suggested that whoever those prints belonged to left.

_'Nothing says they walked in either.'_ He thought to himself as he noted that there was a suspicious lack of tracks in either direction from the entrance or otherwise. Boar moved forward and looked into the crevasse of the sphere. Beyond the entryway, the crack opened into an oddly defined hole.

The inside was as smooth as glass whereas the entry jagged like one would expect a cracked rock to be. Another thing to be noted.

An hour pass where the ANBU Captain along with Eagle investigated the scene with a scrutinous eye as possible before Eel perked up from the entrance. Despite how involved he was with a particularly readable seal, the movement was noticed by Boar.

The ANBU raised a fist and clicked his tongue which gained the attention of the rest of his squad. "I'm detecting rapidly moving chakra signatures." A pause. "Seven of them. I estimate them at 4 klicks out. Their behavior suggests we have not been detected."

Boar nodded. "Pack your things. We're leaving."

* * *

**6 Hours Before**

With a quick Kamui, the three men were teleported to Pain's tower, the self-proclaimed god's base of operations within the village of Amegakure.

Surprised, Konan turned from the balcony that overlooked the village. She had expected them to take longer.

The Angel of Ame looked the strange man that Pain and Madara brought with them over. While tall, he was smaller in stature than she expected. The strange, gold jewelry on his wrists and naked chest didn't do much to help impressions. Did he really have the power claimed in the Sage's tablet?

"Is this the new 'member' you spoke of?" She asked, wary of the stranger. She was nothing if not careful and his capabilities weren't exactly the most well documented. "Yes." Answered Madara as Nagato's Deva Path made his way to her side.

The Uchiha shot him a glance that was almost appraising in nature. "A simple looking one, isn't he?"

She didn't dignify the offhand insult with a response and instead looked up at the man's dull expression. Surprisingly enough, once she overlooked the odd attire, Konan thought he looked rather...normal. A welcome reprieve when considering the 'diversity' of the organization's members. It was then that she noticed the peculiar look of his eyes.

He was under genjutsu. "I take it he wasn't interested in joining?"

"I'm not taking chances with this one. A strong shinobi not joining us is an acceptable loss; he isn't." Madara made a gesture to Pain and the man walked over to Broly who knelt down.

The Deva Path put its hand to the man's back and the seal glew upon contact. Its edges snailed outwards ever so slightly but with the movement of the ink, the pressure in the room grew. The color of the Saiyan's skin brightened not unlike a corpse returning to life and he took a large breath.

* * *

Broly looked around his new prison in a daze; his near catatonic state broken by a shift in the room's light. His glow of his chains shifted, just slightly, to a familiar emerald and it was like finding a warm refuge in a blizzard.

He felt some of his strength return. The raven-haired man turned his head, neck aching from a lack of movement, and he inspected his arms. The chains around them were lit by a ghostly flame and that's when he knew that it was his essence returning to him.

He didn't know what as happening but there was no point in wasting time questioning it. The Saiyan pushed himself forward with all of his regained might. He didn't know how long it would last but his gut told him it wasn't going to be long. The empty void was filled with his roar of exertion as the chain grew taut from the force pulling on it. Dust flew off the pillars as Broly shifted directions and threw himself backward.

It was painful but the raven haired man forced his feet under him. With a gargantuan effort, he propelled himself against his bindings. The metal of his restraints ground into his skin like thick knives. It was enough to make most men crumble.

_'Come on, come on, COME ON!'_

Sweat poured down Broly's face like rain; his bestial growls erupted into a final scream of fury, fear, and loathing before the green disappeared.

With the flow of power cut off, he fell back exhausted. His lungs ached; each breath felt like the gasp one would take after nearly drowning. His heart hammered away at his chest.

The Saiyan let his head fall with grit teeth; they were _toying_ with him. Letting him have hope where there was none to be found.

**That doesn't feel like chakra.**

Broly looked up once again; his soaked hair stuck to his face. There was a third one. It was a woman this time but she wore the same uniform as the other two. So this was some little club? They were all looking down at him. Like he was just their slave!

The one with the red eyes. It wasn't hard to see that he was the one pulling the strings. Once he was free, he would rip the man's eyes from his head and grind the rest of them into paste.

He will take his time cleansing this world and its history from the face of the galaxy. When everything was gone, only then would he be satisfied.

* * *

"That's enough."

The orange haired shinobi lifted his hand and the seal returned to its dormant state.

The Uchiha couldn't help but feel pleased._ 'I've never felt power like this before...'_ The energy in the air could be _tasted_ and it made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

Konan focused on the stranger with an intensity she usually reserved for combat. "That doesn't feel like chakra."

Pain spoke up. "It's ki. A form of life force manipulation from the time of the Warring Clans."

"Ki?" The kunoichi furrowed her brow. "I vaguely remember reading about that when we were younger. It was mentioned in the occasional history book." She refocused her sharp gaze at the brainwashed man as he stood up. "Of course, like most things from the era, anything substantial about it has been lost to time."

"Though I do know that ki has the distinct advantage of not being chakra, so how are you controlling him?"

"Curious aren't you? Though I suppose there's no harm in letting you know." Madara pointed at his own forehead. "The seal on his head changes chakra applied to it into ki. It's not a perfect one to one conversion so some -" He paused as he looked for the right word. "-quirks are to be expected. It's because of this that I'm able to wield him like you see before you."

The Uchiha went and put a hand on the Saiyan's shoulder. "Now, if you'll excuse me, we'll just be a bit."

As quickly as the shinobi first appeared, he disappeared in the shadow of a Kamui.

A moment of silence passed before Konan looked at Pain. "I know you want to say something."

"We're so close, Konan." The Path glanced at Konan with a hint of something akin to content in its eyes.

She gazed at him in mild confusion. "What do you mean?"

"The Tailed Beasts are no longer needed; we have the ultimate weapon we had been seeking to create." Nagato's avatar looked out at the view overlooking their village. "The world will finally know true pain."

Konan was surprised to say the least. She was so focused on her suspicions that she neglected to think on what would happen if Broly lived up to expectations. The man was suppose to be able to reap entire worlds. A Hidden Village every now and then? Almost pitifully easy in the face of such overwhelming power.

She gave him a rare, albeit small, smile. Soon all the misery they had gone through in their lives would be worth it. "Yes, it will."

* * *

Despite satisfaction from a successful mission, Tsunade read the report from the ANBU with a furrowed brow. None of it seemed to make any sense.

There was _nothing_ in _any_ known record of a cavern this size existing anywhere yet there it was. Add on to that all of the cryptic seals everywhere and the evidence of flora that had gone extinct hundreds of years ago and the Hidden Leaf Village had quite the conundrum on its hands.

A puzzle that only yielded more questions once a possible solution was noted in a passage near the end of the report:

_'Upon investigating the fissure, it was discovered that an impression was made near the center of the sphere. It was humanoid in shape from a cursory review though due to time constraints further investigation was not done to determine whether or not this was the case.'_

So it was possible this whole thing was a prison. For one inmate.

It made some sense. They knew that sealing living beings away was a thing; Jinchurikis were a thing after all. This could have been the same thing on a mind-numbingly large scale. But how someone could have hidden such a thing from everyone for, potentially, centuries? And in such a large space? Not to mention what had warranted such extreme measures to keep something under such lock and key.

Then there was the question of _where the hell did this prisoner go?_

The only evidence that there was anyone else in the cavern before her ANBU were two sets of footprints right in front of the crack in the sphere. Nothing that showed someone entering or leaving.

She looked up from the papers at her fellow Sannin. "So what do you make of this, Jiraiya?"

"Other than the obvious?"

Tsunade scowled and the Toad Sage nervously cleared his throat. "All I can say is that I can't read the majority of the seals and the ones I _can_ read are _extremely_ complex."

The spymaster put a hand through his wild, white hair. "It would take me years to get anything close to this scale done."

"Well, at least we don't have to worry about a super gifted seal user then. Everything points to this being created centuries ago." The Hokage sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. It was too early for something so complicated.

Wait. She glanced out the corner of her eye. It was getting dark already?

"Still, if it took someone of this caliber..." Jiraiya gestured to the pictures of the cave's walls. "What does that say of what they spent all this effort containing?"

"Nothing good to say the least."

The Hokage decided they had spent enough time on the matter that day already. She had been studying it for hours before Jiraiya had even stepped foot in the village.

"So how's Naruto?"

The Toad Sage perked up. "Not the most subtle way to change a subject but I commend the effort."

"Shut the hell up and answer me."

Jiraiya snickered at how easily he riled up his former team mate. "The blond brat has been bouncing all over the place out of excitement. He's really missed the village." The elderly sannin smile faded to a thin line as a concern made itself known. "Though a bad stomach ache has tempered his giddiness."

Tsunade raised a brow. Nausea? "Odd, Naruto only feels sick after eating too much ramen." The Godaime chuckled a bit. "His enthusiasm probably got to him."

It was too convenient of an explanation but his team mate had already had a pretty rough day so Jiraiya nodded. "Yeah, you're probably right."

* * *

**A clearing near Shimogakure**

The Kamui opened up and disappeared in an instant leaving behind the two men.

Madara breathed in the cool, crisp air of the snowy tundra around him. The village nearby was small, isolated, and with minimal forces. This was the perfect location for a quick test.

"This is Shimo." Started the Uchiha. While speaking had no practical applications in the moment, he knew that his subject was listening. "A rather pathetic excuse for a hidden village in the Land of Frost. Prove to me you are worth keeping around by destroying it."

Broly lifted his arm, his palm pointed at the village.

Everything around the two suddenly turned a deep green and the masked shinobi felt a subtle shock go through his system. The emerald around them collapsed as a light as intense as the sun grew in the palm of the Saiyan's hand.

Without warning, the orb of ki blasted away. The force of the blast leaving his hand created a gale force wind that buffeted them and the environment without mercy. Snow beneath the attack was vaporized instantaneously.

In the blink of an eye, hundreds of lives were lost in a symphony of blinding light and burning sound. The dome of the explosion devoured every inch of the village like a starved animal. The Uchiha had to lift a hand to block the radiant sight from hurting his eyes.

The shock wave passed over Madara and Broly and lifted the former's robes though he paid no mind to it.

It was over in the snap of a finger.

The Uchiha scanned the small plain of glass that used to be Shimogakure and he found himself chuckling._ 'So many paths to take with this power...'_

There was something to be said of how absolute the destruction was. No rubble. No corpses. Just...nothing.

Before anything could be done with the Saiyan however, there was the question of properly controlling this weapon of his. His grasp on the alien's mind was merely good at best and tenuous at its worst. Were something to happen during a battle that could affect the link he had with Broly, the monster may fall out of his grasp.

And there goes the planet.

Of course, The Sage thought of such a possibility and put a kill switch on the raven haired man's chest. A simple touch of the seal from a Rinnegan wielder and all of his power would be instantly locked away.

There were two issues with such an arrangement.

The first was that there was no guarantee that they could activate it in time.

Secondly, and more importantly, he did not have the Rinnegan and the one man that did would look at Broly as the answer to his prayers. Nagato believed that they were gathering the Tailed Beasts to make the ultimate weapon. An objective made pointless by the appearance of the Saiyan.

What was to stop Akatsuki's figurehead from making the logical assumption that Broly was a suitable replacement? That just wouldn't do. The Tailed Beasts were vital to the Eye of the Moon plan which used a _genjutsu_ which wouldn't work with _ki_.

Unless he can convince Nagato to continue with gathering the Biju, he'd have to harvest Nagato's eyes far earlier than anticipated. Konan won't like that so he'd have to eliminate her as well.

"You are both a blessing and a curse, my puppet." He muttered as the alien put his hand down. A ray of sunshine brought some warmth to his mask and the Uchiha looked up. The sky above them had been forced open to make way for the mushroom cloud that had bloomed in the moments following the massacre Broly had just committed.

"A blessing and a curse."

* * *

Author's Notes

So this is a bit of a soft reboot to the story. The previous version of this chapter was rather poor in that there was quite a bit that was pointless (the fight between Broly and the inhabitants of Shimo) or just confusing (How the mind control with Broly would work). In fact, I was confusing myself with how I wanted the dynamic between Obito and Broly to be.

So I've tightened the focus of the chapter which will make the rest of the story easier to write. If you've read the previous version of this and left a review, I'd be grateful if you took the time to let me know how this new one compares.

Please leave a review and let me know if the new version is an improvement or not!

Ent out.

* * *

Review Responses!

_Note: Few review responses this time since the rewrite did render most of them moot._

**nivlac:** I like to keep pairings, or lack thereof, secret. Though if there is one, it would be someone close to his age so none of the Konoha 11. That's for sure.

**Rosco Peeko Trane:** While I won't give straight numbers, I can give you a quick comparison.

Power Levels

Broly (with no Ki): Chunin

Broly (in this chapter): 1/4 of the One-Tail.


	3. Chapter 3: Closed Casket

**Devil From The Heavens**

_Chapter 3: Closed Casket_

**Three Days Later**

Sasori and Deidara watched with bored expressions as the boulder slid away to let them in. The clay construct shifted in place and shook off some of the sand that had fallen off the Kazekage's body onto its tail.

The duo had successfully kidnapped the One Tail jinchuriki not too long ago. It was a relatively easy mission given that the only 'casualty' was the bomber's arm.

The opening revealed a man standing in the center of the room where their ritual was supposed to take place. He wore their uniform, a black cloak with red clouds, but they had never seen him before today. Even stranger still was the slashed headband from Amegakure, the same village that Pain hailed from.

The duo were instantly on high alert at the intruder but confusion replaced their nerves once they saw the shadowy form of their leader's hologram.

"You're late. Prepare it immediately."

Deidara, with a wary eye on the new guy, unceremoniously dumped Gaara's body on the ground. "The Jinchuriki was stronger than I thought, yeah."

Pain put his hands together before slamming a palm onto the ground for a summoning jutsu. A massive plume of smoke filled the room and the Gedo Statue, a sculpture of an alien looking creature with nine eyes, appeared before them.

"Right." The leader of Akatsuki spoke with no inflection of any kind in his voice. "Assemble." He joined his hands once more. The shadowy forms of the rest of the Akatsuki appeared on each individual fingertip of the statue. Deidara and Sasori quickly jumped up to join them with the mysterious guest staying put.

"From this point forward, it'll take three days and nights to complete. Everyone, also be mindful of your real bodies. Zetsu, use your real body as a lookout. Use your largest range."

The plant/man hybrid shifted in his spot. "...I know."

"Three days, eh? With Orochimaru gone, shouldn't we expect it to take longer?"

"If you really think so, then let's get started already."

The group of missing-nin lifted their hands and began channeling chakra to the Gedo Statue. A smoky cloud of chakra gathered in the mouth of the grotesque monument.

**"Fūinjutsu: Genryū Kyūfūjin!"**

The great coiling bodies of nine ghostly dragons slithered out of the Gedo Statue's mouth; to say the constructs looked predatory was an understatement. They locked onto the still body of Suna's Kazekage and crashed into him with great force.

The red life force of the Tailed Beast within him was pulled from his body in waves. It was a small blessing that the young man was unconscious for the ritual.

Days past without incident but in the final hours of the extraction, Zetsu discovered the presence of a squad of Leaf ninja.

"An enemy from Konoha is approaching our hideout. He appears to be very skilled...his name is Might Guy."

One of the Akatsuki phantoms, unfamiliar with the ninja, spoke up. "...Who's that?"

Another answered him. "He's a Jonin from the Leaf Village who uses taijutsu. He's quite talented, so take care not to underestimate him."

A smile full of shark-like teeth shone in the dark. "Ah...that bizarre beast, eh..."

"I'll use that jutsu then."

"Let me go instead. I've had a hard time finding my Jinchuriki and I've been starting to get irritated..."

"No... I will go." The predatory grin shifted into a scowl. "I have a personal vendetta against that man..."

"Indeed...after all, that jutsu is suitable for you, as you have a large amount of chakra even for us Akatsuki, Kisame. However, I'll still need to have thirty percent of your chakra."

Zetsu spoke up. "There's another shinobi of the Leaf."

Pain looked around for volunteers. "Well...who's next?"

* * *

There was movement in the darkness beyond his 'cell'. While there were no walls or bars to serve the name, they weren't exactly needed.

It had started when that statue first appeared. A small shift that he could've believed to be his own mind malfunctioning.

But as time past, it grew as if struggling against bonds like his own. Broly didn't fear it, not entirely, but he felt resigned to whatever fate would throw at him next.

After everything that's happened, it wouldn't surprise him that some abomination made itself home within his mind.

He looked out through his eyes. The man, a child really from young he looked, was falling apart. The cracks that lined his body had steadily grown more severe as his power was ripped from his body.

It was a terrible way to die, he thought, to have your very strength stripped from you.

_'Better a powerless death than a strengthless life.'_ With a bitter taste in his mouth from the sight, his eyes wandered once more about the cave. How could anyone stay still for so long willingly?

Broly heard motion from the corner of his vision and he quickly looked.

Nothing.

* * *

Pain felt the release of his hold on the two bodies he sent out for the Leaf nin. "Hmm...the jutsu has been released but..." He looked over at the two he sent out. "We've been able to buy a considerable amount of time. Well done, Itachi and Kisame."

Sasori made his disapproval known with a grunt. "You say that so simply. I had to give up two of my subordinates as sacrifices for your jutsu."

The Rinnegan wielder brushed off the puppet master. "With my Shapeshifting technique, they became Akatsuki members, even for just a little while. I'd think they should be thanking us."

The line of red chakra coming from Gaara's body thinned out.

"Almost there, isn't it?"

"Zetsu, dispose of the two used for the Shapeshifting technique."

"Understood."

"Itachi, how many are there and who are they?"

"From Konoha, Hatake Kakashi, Haruno Sakura, and the Kyubi's Jinchuriki, Uzumaki Naruto. From Suna, an adviser name Chiyo."

Sasori looked shocked by the last name but no one made any mention of it.

"Another Jinchuriki." The leader muttered without inflection. Madara still wanted them collected despite Broly's apparent power. He still needed to clear the air with the Uchiha but it would be a net positive to capture the Nine Tails regardless.

As the ritual finished up, they heard the crash of a fist against the barrier set up at the cavern's entrance.

"Sasori, Deidara, and Broly. Capture the Jinchuriki alive. The rest of you scatter."

_'So that's the mystery man's name, yeah.' _The blond thought as Itachi described the Kyubi's container as 'the one to shout loudly and rush at you' in response to Sasori's request for a description.

"That's all? You have nothing more specific, yeah?" The bomber asked which the stoic Uchiha promptly ignored.

"Tch."

As the Akatsuki disappeared, Pain stay behind a few more moments. "I'll be waiting for contact." He glanced at the Saiyan who stood up from his seat on the ground. "Be careful."

Sasori chuckled as he eyed Broly. "He's that green?"

"I was speaking to you two." The leader left in a puff of smoke.

The two shinobi looked at each with indignant confusion.

* * *

"We'll break in with a button-hook entry." The silver haired Jonin yelled as he got ready to pull the seal from the rock. Naruto stood on the right side of the entrance while Chiyo was on the left.

"Sakura!" Kakashi ripped the paper from the massive boulder that blocked their way.

"Okay!" The pink haired kunoichi yelled as she slammed her chakra infused fist into the stone.

* * *

As the wall of rock crumbled, he felt the chains fall from him and a feeling of defeated joy went through him.

Madara had warned him of this. During combat he would be free but only in the sense that he could move his own body. He couldn't speak or interact with anyone, just fight.

His only targets would be what Madara allowed and he could only kill what Madara wanted dead. This Jinchuriki would have to be taken alive much to his chagrin.

If it was any solace, all others- barring Akatsuki of course- were fair game.

* * *

The four shinobi moved in but they hesitated.

There stood a man they've never seen before with Sasori, Deidara, and a large clay bird flanking him. His eyes were a burning red and his foot was on Gaara's head.

"Well then...which of you is the Jinchuriki, I wonder? Yeah."

Naruto's face took a feral appearance as his whisker-like marks thickened and his teeth sharpened. The utter disrespect to his friend's seemingly unconscious body was enough to cause malevolent chakra to rise from his being.

"You **bastards**! I'll smash you to pieces!"

"That one."

"Well, seems like it...yeah."

The blond leaf nin stared at the Kazekage's unmoving form for any signs of life. "Gaara, what're you doing, sleeping there lazily?! Stand the hell up!"

His fellow ninja gave him concerned looks as he hunched over, the beginnings of a cloak starting to form. Broly was intrigued by the desperation present in the brat.

He would be fun to break.

"Hey! Gaara, are you listening to-!"

Broly held up a hand and Naruto stopped at the odd gesture. Why was he sticking out his thumb like that?

The Saiyan gave him a bloodthirsty grin. Even as limited as he was, he still needed to cut loose; his blood screamed for combat. In this moment, there would be nothing else.

He knew the brat would hold back if he thought there was a possibility of injury towards the kid under his boot. They seemed close like that.

With all eyes on him, Broly put his thumb down and crushed Gaara's skull.

_'Oh no'_ Sakura's eyes widened in horror at the sand and gore on the Akatsuki member's boot. A monstrous roar rang out in the cave as Naruto's mind registered the reality of the situation. They came too late to save his friend.

The blond Jinchuriki got on all fours as two more tails of chakra formed behind him. **"I'll kill you!" **The shinobi leapt forward, the ground beneath him cratered at the jump, with a massive Rasengan already formed in his hand.

Broly was all too eager to mimic the feral young man as his own hand was filled with ki.

"Everyone! Fall back!" Kakashi yelled as he quickly put distance between him and the two warriors. He couldn't feel out the Akatsuki's strength but he knew Naruto's output alone could cause serious collateral damage.

Deidara and Sasori seemed to think the same as they two made their way in the opposite direction.

**"Odama Rasengan!"**

The two powers met in a titanic clash that quickly exploded and sent tremors for hundreds of feet in all directions. Naruto was thrown out of the cloud of smoke, his injuries already mostly healed, and righted himself before slamming his claws into the earth to stop his momentum.

The cloud cleared revealing a hole of broken earth at the end of a trail of dug up ground. From the looks of things, the explosion forced his Broly underground rather than away like it did his aggressor.

Deidara whistled at the sight from atop his clay bird. "What fantastic art! It's a shame that he bit off more than he could chew, yeah."

Sasori eyed his team mate from below, his tail held in front of him protectively. "You should know better than to speak too soon, Deidara."

Kakashi eyed his former student warily. He had never seen the knucklehead use this many tails before and there was no knowing how well he was able to control himself. As he turned to Chiyo and Sakura to start trying to regain control of the situation, the sound of earth breaking reached their ears.

Naruto's savage facade gave way to shock at what he saw. "No way! I hit him directly!"

Broly's outstretched hand opened up and braced itself against the ground. The Saiyan pulled himself out of the rubble with only minor scratches adorning his form. An empty, soulless laugh rang out as he stood to his full height.

The blond jinchuriki's anger reignited at the sound. "If you think you can scare me, you've got another thing comin'!

The two went at each other again, this time with fists and claws instead of ki and chakra. After a quick melee, Broly landed a hard punch to the whiskered teen's chest which launched him out the side of the cavern. Without a second thought, the Saiyan chased after the boy.

After several seconds of stunned silence, the remaining shinobi turned their gazes upon one another.

"Should we fight or grab Naruto and retreat, Kakashi-sensei?" Whispered Sakura as she pumped chakra into her fists. Chiyo scoffed. "The Kazekage is dead; the mission's a failure. Let's cut our losses and leave."

Kakashi was inclined to agree, doubly so now given their opponents, but retreating was something easier said than done.

"If you think we'll just let you go..." Sasori's tailed coiled towards them like a snake ready to strike. "You're _sorely_ mistaken."

* * *

Naruto bounced along the forest floor as if he were a pebble on the surface of a lake. He only stopped because he managed to find a comfortable boulder to slam his body against.

He quickly recovered and his cloak darkened several shades as his control momentarily wavered.

_'Come on, don't let the power control you.'_

Broly blasted through the foliage with tremendous ease as he tried to take off his head with a clothesline. He ducked in time and grabbed the Saiyan with one of his tails. He lifted the Akatsuki member fifty feet into the air before slamming him into the dirt.

Knowing he had merely moments to take advantage of this new opening, Naruto put his hands together in an all too familiar seal.

**"Tajuu Kage Bunshin No Jutsu!"**

Two hundred clones popped into existence instantly in the forest around the Saiyan as he broke from the Jinchuriki's tail.

The Akatsuki member looked horribly confused in the moment before the hundreds of Narutos fell upon him with great fury. Broly took out clones three or four at a time with bone crushing strikes but it was an inevitability that he would soon be overwhelmed. Two rasengan got past his defenses and slammed into his bare chest.

The impact of the jutsu was painful, much more so than he expected, yet he took it with hardly a reaction. It won't due to give his opponent hope.

The Saiyan roared and a barrier of ki blocked the remaining clones while taking out the successful duo. He shot up into the air and the ground below him caved in. With the many blonds below him off balance, Broly's body shone with a brilliant emerald as orbs of ki rained down on the Jinchuriki from his form.

As his remaining shadow clones were destroyed, Naruto dodged the many explosions that were littering his surroundings. His cloak could take plenty of damage before he himself would start to be affected but there was no point in just staying still and taking it.

The blond shinobi stopped on a tree branch to survey his surroundings. A good square mile of the forest was gone in the wake of the Akatsuki's attack.

_'So this is the kind of power that we're dealing with...'_

He'd need to talk to Pervy Sage about increasing his training. This guy didn't have a Tailed Beast and look what he was capable of.

Broly landed in the center of it all with a ground cracking impact. His chest was scratched up but the man wasn't fazed from the looks of things. It only made him angrier.

He kills Gaara right in front of him and doesn't even have the decency to be hurt?!

His tails twitched behind him.

"Why'd you do it?! Gaara was no threat to you! There was no point in killing him!"

The redhead was the only other one who knew what it was like to be him. To be considered a monster by his fellow villagers. To have your shot at a normal life ripped from you before you ever had a chance. Why'd he have to die?

The man ignored his words as he paced towards him.

Naruto's eyes watered as more of the Kyubi's power flowed over him. Skin started to melt and fall away. The tree branch crumbled and burned underneath him and he fell to the ground.

With every step that Broly took, more of Naruto seemed to burn away. Another tail joined the other three. Two shining orbs and blinding smile of great gnashing teeth gazed upon the Saiyan where a face used to be. Any trace of humanity left was now merely an illusion.

The transformation gave the man pause. The beast that used to be Naruto lifted its body and dozens of globs of chakra both light and dark tore themselves away from its body. The tips of its tails gathered in front of its face as it seemingly beckoned its loose power back with a low growl.

The chakra gathered in front of the jinchuriki's face where it then condensed itself. The force of such an event cratered the ground around the crimson animal. After pausing for some moments, as if contemplating the sheer scale of what was going to happen, the miniature Kyubi's mouth unhinged itself, the action ripping its cheeks apart.

Broly took a step back as he thought on what to do. He'd seen his fair share of strange sights but this was up there for sure. The thing then ate the sphere that it created and sunk into the ground. What the hell was it doing?

The Four Tails blew up like a balloon, a comical sight were it not for the sheer amount of killing intent radiating off the beast.

* * *

Kakashi nearly collapsed once Deidara's apparent suicide explosion was transported by his Kamui. They were fighting a losing battle but with the explosive specialist out of the picture, they may have still stood a chance.

Sakura pushed herself onto her shaky feet. She was forced to use the last of the antidote for Sasori's poison after she and Chiyo were caught in a hail of Iron Sand by the puppet master; it looked like the poison still took its toll.

Sasori looked mildly irked at best at his partner's fate as his shield of Iron Sand melted away. "A warning would have been appreciated, Deidara." The blond Akatsuki member appeared from behind the puppet of the Third Kazekage and his child-like partner with a shrug. "I tried to get them by surprise but it's seems that that didn't matter, yeah."

The Copy Nin felt his stomach drop at the sight of the bomber. That Kamui took a lot of chakra to pull off and he was running on fumes because of it. His student and the elderly adviser from the Sand weren't much better off either.

That was when they all felt it. While the Nine-Tailed Fox's chakra had weighed down on the shinobi, it was possible to tune it out. Now, it felt like the demon itself had them in its grasp.

"Kakashi..." Chiyo called out between gasps as she grasped at her chest. She had the most trouble dealing with the influx of the evil chakra. "...that kid didn't...?"

The masked shinobi shook his head. While it was bad, he was there when the Nine Tails attacked the village. This was just a fraction of it. "No but I'm worried. This is a _lot_ of power he's releasing."

* * *

The chakra burst from his mouth with the force of a missile. Broly, unsure if he could take such a hit with how weak he was, jumped to the side and avoided the attack entirely.

The Saiyan followed the blast with his eyes. A pleased smile appeared on his face.

The boy had launched it right at the cave.

* * *

Author's Notes

After a good year, the story starts in earnest. Finally right?

It's rare that I leave a chapter on a cliffhanger. I like to have each one have some kind of ending given that my updating schedule -if you want to call it that- is rather sporadic but I got a good feeling this is going to continue.

As for why I'm using Japanese names for the jutsu used in this chapter, it sounds cooler in my head.

If you have any questions, concerns, or criticisms, please leave them below in a review!

Ent out.

* * *

Review Responses!

**FrostyMan122:** Someone's confident! There's no guarantee he will ever escape y'know.

**AdrienVictus:** I've thought about it but where I'm planning on taking this story, it wouldn't be viable.

**THE CREATOR:** While the effort is appreciated, power levels simply won't be a thing in this story.

**fan:** That's certainly one way to take this fic. I might do something down the line with the Sage of Six Paths meeting Goku somehow. That'd be fun to write.


	4. Chapter 4: Flint and Steel

**Devil From The Heavens**

_Chapter 4: Flint and Steel_

Kakashi turned to the cave entrance with a heavy feeling in his gut. He could see, just barely, the missile heading right to them. It would be seconds before it hit.

_'Damn it all!'_ Thought the shinobi when he brought his attention back to his allies who were seemingly oblivious to their impending doom. "We need to run!"

Sakura tensed to move but a vice grip on her upper arm stopped her. "Wha-!" Faster than she could react, the copy-cat ninja grabbed the kunoichi and Chiyo. He flung the two out of the cave with the last of his remaining strength to their protests.

Sakura rose from the ground with a snarl. The man had too little chakra to be pulling 'heroic' moves like that! That's when she felt the heat. A roaring ball of condensed fire raced past her, the force of its movements ruffling her hair and clothes.

There's no way she was going to reach him in time. There was no way he was going to move out of the way in time.

"Kakashi!"

* * *

He looked back at the child as an explosion rocked the mountain where the battle began. He hated how pleased he was. It wasn't from some misplaced sense of morality, he would've done this voluntarily regardless, but because he was being forced to fight by Madara's orders.

He braced himself against the massive red hand that slammed into his form. Its fingers wrapped around his torso and they burned him. As he twisted his body, the appendage separated from the rest of the limb before disintegrating into a fine mist. A mist that he breathed in.

Contact with whatever the boy was made was to be avoided. That was the rule he made for himself as he staggered back at the sudden pain in his chest. It felt like something was eating away at his lungs.

A great roar shook him as the four tailed abomination lunged at him. He reached out, a semi-formed blob of ki in his hand, and forced it between its eyes. The Saiyan pushed through the blast to follow up with a right hook to the thing's face. His knuckles met resistance for but a moment before its head seemingly exploded.

He wasn't prepared for the sudden absence and fell forward as a new head formed next to his fist. _'What!'_ Broly thought as he was squashed between the ground and the boy's claws.

He swiped at the hand to cut it off but three more joined its place to pin his arms and torso. His skin felt like it was being torn apart by a thousand knives all across his body. His vision blurred from the pain. He had never known such agony was possible before.

Its face hung in front of him, its blank eyes saying nothing. Four tails rose up, their points directed at him.

_'I still have a man to kill! I won't die now!'_ Broly brought forth all the power at his disposal. It wasn't much but it'd have to do. He released it all at once just as the tails descended upon him.

Its eyes widened as its arms were suddenly blown away and a wall of green overtook the beast. The earth shook violently from the outburst of energy. A shining emerald painted everything around.

* * *

Kakashi blinked away the haze that had settled over his vision. A high pitched ringing in his ears deafened him as he tried to take stock on the situation. He was alive for starters which was always a good thing. The residue of the Nine Tails's chakra weighed heavy in the air.

That blast was headed straight for him and he knew he didn't make a move so that had to have meant that someone had saved him. It couldn't have been Sakura or Chiyo since he made a point of tossing them out of the way so who could it-?

"KAKASHI! IT'S TERRIBLY UNYOUTHFUL TO JUST LAY ON THE GROUND LIKE THAT!"

Ah, that makes sense.

He sat up with a groan; his body hurt all over from fighting Deidara. "Guy, it's good to see you." The eccentric man gave Kakashi a smile that was just a little too bright for him if the sudden headache said anything.

"The feeling's mutual, my friend! Are you all right?"

"Never better." The Copy-Cat ninja quipped as he rose to his feet. His student and the advisor from Suna were nowhere to be found. Nor was the mountain they had originally arrived at apparently.

"Sakura and Chiyo?"

"Safe with my team," He paused. "Though I am not sure how long that will last."

"Let's find them then."

Kakashi went to move but stumbled. His balance was still recovering it seemed. Guy put a hand on his shoulder. "Are you sure you're okay?" The silver-haired man sighed. "Not until I see my team," He glanced at Guy. "But I'm good to move if that's what you mean."

His response was met with an overly wide grin from the spandex clad taijutsu specialist. "Ha! It's good to see the flames of youth still burning bright within you, my eternal rival!"

"...right."

Moments later, the two were reunited with the rest of their teams.

Rock Lee was the first to notice the two. "Guy-sensei!" He cried out before he ran to Guy followed closely by Neji and Tenten.

"Kakashi-sensei, you're alive!" Sakura ran over to him and caught him before he fell over. looked like she wanted to hug the man but resisted the urge, instead putting a glowing green hand to the man. "From what I can see, it looks like there's nothing that's gonna kill you in the near future," She paused. "Except for the severe chakra exhaustion, how are you still standing?"

"Where are Deidara and Sasori?"

"Hopefully dead but we've got a bigger problem at the moment." Chiyo looked in the direction where the battle between Naruto and the mysterious Akatsuki seemingly end with a bang. "The Kyubi's chakra is gone."

A sudden dread enveloped the group. Kakashi's voice, severe in a way that accepted no argument, cut through the silence.

"We need to move. _Now_."

* * *

His body was launched from the epicenter of the explosion, smoking and covered in burns, the protective cloak of the Kyubi's chakra gone.

The shinobi barely registered crashing through the canopy of the forest or the tearing of his clothes. Every inch of his skin cried out in agony even as it was healed by his resident's power.

He lost control. That much was easy to see what with the ruined landscape and his lack of any memories. Smoke blocked out the sun.

Despite his pain, Naruto clenched his fists in frustration and guilt. He was too late to save Gaara and he flew off the handles. He thought he was better than this but seeing Gaara...he grit his teeth.

He could see everybody now yelling at him that he threw his life away in a pointless fight. It wasn't like he would be able to defend himself in his state.

Not that he would let that fact stop him.

His attention was suddenly drawn to the sound of twigs snapping. Broly's form could be seen limping through the trees.

Naruto struggled to his feet, exhaustion permeated his entire being. He wouldn't just lie down and take it; death was preferable to just giving up.

"Back," His ragged breaths stopped him momentarily. "For more?"

The Saiyan scowled at him before a disoriented look came over his face. The Akatsuki member stopped to support himself against a tree. He could feel his energy fluctuating; whatever coated the boy just moments ago was seeping into his skin. Broly put his hand on one of the angry red marks all over his torso.

"That...fucking..._hurt_."

Naruto wanted to smile, the knowledge that he hurt the man responsible for Gaara's death brought him some pride, but he didn't. The man was still breathing and still capable of potentially capturing him.

"You actually talk, huh? For a minute there, I thought you were mute."

The man seemed surprised at the acknowledgement and quickly palmed the marking on his forehead. "So I can..." The uncertainty in his voice was obvious even to Naruto.

"Why do you sound so confused? Wouldn't you be the first person to know if you could?"

A million thoughts were racing through Broly's mind. The masked man said that his ability to speak was blocked; there was no reason to tell him that if that wasn't the case. Something was interfering with the hold that bastard held over him. Something loosened the hold.

Was it that red stuff that was seemingly burrowing into him? No time to dwell on it now.

It was just his voice from what he could tell. He would have to appeal to the boy's compassion if he were to have a chance at escaping Madara's clutches.

A task which would have been much simpler if he didn't kill the kid's friend.

He raced at the boy; the compulsion to continue fighting him was still beyond resisting. The kid dodged his punched by fractions of a a second before it would connect. "I probably don't have much time before Madara realizes there's an issue." The anger on the boy's face was replaced with surprise and it urged him on. "I'm being contr-Hngh!"

It felt like something clamped down on his throat. He could feel his energy stabilizing. Whatever was affecting his system was quickly fading.

Naruto retaliated with a punch of his own that connected to little effect. It felt like punching a tree trunk. "You're being what?" He asked, a curiosity building within him.

The Saiyan swiped at him, the attack passing just over the shinobi's nose as he fell onto his back to dodge. He raised a boot but the knucklehead ninja rolled out of the way as he brought it down.

Broly struggled with his words. "Jin-hnn- g-gengetsu! That'swhathecalledit!"

"Gengetsu?" It took a moment before the dots connected themselves in his mind. "Oh, genjutsu! Wait, you're being controlled by genjutsu?" The skepticism there was obvious.

It took every ounce of his remaining will to nod before the genjutsu full reasserted itself.

"How do I know you're not trying to trick me?!"

_'Damn it, _now_ he grows a brain?!' _The man yelled in his mind as he stalked towards the ninja.

"Well, it looks like the newbie is having trouble with Kyubi Jinchuriki, yeah."

Naruto turned to the origin of the voice to see the feminine man from earlier jump off a giant clay bird along with the hunchback. Judging by the marks on their skin and the strong smell of ash, the two had seen better days.

"We barely escaped that little attack of his ourselves, yeah."

"I would say to just leave him but..." Sasori paced around Naruto and stopped when the Akastuki had formed a triangle around the blond shinobi. "This is the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki; we're not risking his escape."

The puppet wielder looked to Broly. "Good job tiring him out; it'll make this much easier."

"**Hachimon Tonkou! Dai-roku Keimon, Kai! (Eight Gates: Sixth Gate of View, Open!)**"

A glowing, green blur rocketed past Naruto and slammed into Deidara. The last thing the Iwa terrorist saw before being launched away was a crimson fist. As the forest in front of him was felled, Guy quickly shot off to Sasori who had brought down his tail to block the attack.

The taijutsu specialist's leg broke through the impromptu shield with ease before crashing through his puppet body.

"**Konoha Senpū! (**Leaf Whirlwind!)"

Broly turned at the deafening exclamation to see someone's heel heading towards his face. The Saiyan leaned back to avoid the blow but it was a feint for a sweep to his legs. As the Son of Paragus fell, a pink haired woman jumped in front of him with a fist pulled back.

"Shannaro!"

Broly hit the ground hard, an intense sting on his cheek and a ringing in his head, and bounced through several trees before being stopped by a particularly generous boulder. Everything around him was spinning. He heard someone's muffled orders, something about splitting up, but he could't afford to care. That was too hard of a punch to not dwell on.

He thought with his energy stabilizing it would restore his strength but that couldn't be the case! There was no other reasonable explanation for his sudden weakness unless the burning rage monster he fought earlier was somehow weaker than this girl.

A weak groan escaped him as he pulled himself to his feet using the rock as support. The world soon stopped and came into focus.

It was just in time too as he dodged a palm by the skin of his teeth. That wasn't the girl. Broly countered the new challenger with a punch aimed for the teen's stomach but he gracefully spun around the attack.

"**Hakkeshō Kaiten (Eight Trigrams: Palm Rotation)!**" The blank eyed shinobi yelled as he used his momentum to engage his clan's jutsu. The bubble of chakra that poured out of him threw the Saiyan through the boulder behind him as a knife with some paper attached to it flew at him. The paper spontaneously combusted and engulfed the sealed man in fire and shrapnel.

Broly had to remind himself, as he wiped the soot off his face, not to kill them right where they stood. They were the boy's allies and if he just ripped their heads from their shoulders, no matter how satisfying that would be, it would just put him deeper in the hole. He had just planted the idea that he was being controlled; it would be in his best interest to not ruin that.

Though the temptation only grew when he saw the ridiculous pose of the teen in front of him. "You're in the range of my divination!"

The hell he was! As the young man shot forward, the Saiyan put up a barrier of ki that stopped him in his tracks. The lack of any real reaction only solidified the Son of Paragus's next course of action.

He grabbed the front of the teen's robes and pushed before turning on the girl with the buns that had thrown that knife. "Neji!" She yelled impotently as the teen slammed into a tree and fell to the ground unconscious. She turned back to Broly with a mix of determination and fear before she pulled a massive scroll from her lower back and unfurled it. With a puff of smoke, two smaller scrolls appeared in her hands as she put the original back in place.

"**Sōshōryū (Twin rising Dragons)!**" She leapt into the air, the scrolls unfurling and twisting around her.

It was almost impressive just how many weapons rained down on the Saiyan a mere moment later. He raised his arms to protect his face from the dozens of razor sharp weapons hitting him. While many left nicks in his skin, none could truly cut through his skin.

Broly leapt at the bewildered girl, his arm catching her by the waist, and they both promptly fell to the ground. The Saiyan made it a point to slam her through a tree branch on the way down.

With the two out of the way, it was time to go back to his...allies? Coworkers? He didn't know what to call those two freaks he spent the last few days with. That blond kid was the only one who could potentially help him and letting whatever the fuck this group was capture him would be detrimental.

He swiftly made his way through the forest he was knocked through only to stop as a hole in reality opened up in front of him. Madara stepped out and his own consciousness was forced back into his shackles.

"We're done here."

The two disappeared an instant later.

* * *

Sakura let out a held breath as Sasori metaphorically breathed his last. Exhaustion poured out of her very soul and it wasn't hard to see that Kakashi himself was on his last legs.

"Do you think he was telling the truth about the meeting with the spy?"

"I would take what he said with a grain of salt but..." He sighed once he slid his headband down over his eye. "But it's worth checking out regardless. I'll have to talk with Tsunade about it."

"We should check on your friends before anything else." Chiyo made gesture with her head. "I don't hear anything coming from their direction."

"No need to worry! We're right here!" Shouted Rock Lee as he and Naruto came out from behind a tree with Might Guy in tow. The Chunin's expression became serious. "Sensei needs help; the gates showed him no mercy."

Sakura nodded as she made her way to Guy with a glowing hand. The man fell into her as Lee and Naruto let him go. She swiftly laid him out flat on the ground as her hand moved along his torso. She shook her head.

"He'll need a hospital to get him back to one hundred percent; I'd pass out of chakra exhaustion before I could fix everything."

Lee nodded gravely as Naruto's fists clenched. Sakura noted the anger on the blonde's face.

"What happened with Deidara?" Kakashi chimed in. "Did he escape?"

The two teens shook their heads. "Guy was able to defeat him. It seems the Akatsuki had relatively little in the way of close range techniques. With me, Naruto, and the Eight Gates behind him, once sensei got past his explosive ninjutsu, it was over pretty quickly."

"Where's Neji and Tenten?" Naruto asked out of the blue.

"Oh no!" Lee shouted in horror as he was reminded of his teammates. "They're alone against that other Akatsuki! We have to get them!"

"Let's go then!"

"Wait, Naruto! The two shinobi jumped to the trees before Kakashi could grab onto the blonde shinobi. "Damn it! Sakura, Chiyo, stay here!" The Copy-Cat ninja chased after the impulsive duo.

The three ninja arrived to what was a chilling sight at first glance. Tenten and Neji's bodies were unmoving and Broly was nowhere to be found. Lee quickly dashed over to the weapon specialist's form before letting out a sigh of relief.

"She's alive," He looked over to Kakashi who had rushed to Neji right after him. "Is he...?"

Kakashi shook his head. "Just unconscious though his breathing is ragged. Let's get them back to Sakura and see what she has to say."

As they picked up the remnants of Team Guy, Naruto thought back to his own confrontation with their opponent. This was all his fault. He failed against the Akatsuki and they were forced to face him. It was a miracle they were alive.

If only he was stronger, if he was faster, he could've prevented all of this. Bushy Brow's team would've been okay and Gaara would be alive.

_**'If you had simply accepted me from the beginning, they would all be okay,'** _The monstrous voice of the Kyubi spoke in the back of his mind. _**'But you didn't and here we are.'**_

"Naruto!"

The jinchuriki snapped out of his thoughts. "Huh," He turned to Kakashi confused. "Yeah?"

He could see the concern on his sensei's face. "Are you alright?"

Naruto nodded without a thought. "I'm fine."

Kakashi stared for a few uncomfortable moments before he leapt off into the trees with Neji. "Come on then, it's time to go back to Konoha."

Naruto followed close by, his thoughts still back where he last fought Broly. The man was supposedly being controlled, he said as much, but was it a lie? He wouldn't put it past an Akatsuki to lie about something like that.

Pulling back, it didn't make sense in the first place. He was strong enough to be in the Akatsuki but couldn't shake off a genjutsu that he was aware of? From the sound of it, he (supposedly) didn't even know what a genjutsu was!

"Kakashi?"

"Hmm?"

"What are the odds of an Akatsuki not knowing about genjutsu?"

Kakashi shot him a puzzled look. "Nonexistent. You don't get to where they are if something like genjutsu escaped them. Why the question?"

"The man I fought, he said he was being controlled by genjutsu but the thing is he couldn't pronounce the word right."

Silence passed between them for a few uneasy seconds.

"It was probably just something to throw you off."

"He also mention who was controlling him. Some guy named Madara?"

Naruto almost crashed into his sensei who stumbled in shock at the name. "Naruto," Kakashi's voice was grave, not unlike someone recounting the horrors of war. "Are you sure you heard that name?"

A sudden nervousness overtook the blonde. "Y-yeah."

"We need to go back to the village."

* * *

Author's Notes

I gotta say, I kinda like how this chapter turned out.

A few chapters in and there's already big changes to the Narutoverse! Deidara and Sasori are dead and Gaara isn't coming back; funny how just one guy can make such a difference, huh?

Nothing much else to say except to leave a review and let me know your thoughts! Don't forget to Fave and Follow too!

Ent out.

* * *

Review Responses!

**astral trinity:** I wouldn't look at it as a punishment. A natural disaster seems more appropriate given how he just so happened to land on this particular world rather than countless others.

**fightingchampion:** Broly's intentions are gonna be a minor focal point in the Leaf ninja's discussions for sure. Especially considering what happened in this chapter.

**Hawkcam1996:** Oh, you know it.

**coronadomontes:** Gracias!

**ash:** It's up in the air whether or not Goku shows up later. I would like to hear y'alls feedback around this if that isn't too much to ask.

**Fan:** Thanks for the kind words!

**Guest:** Well, that wouldn't be interesting from a narrative perspective but don't worry; Broly will have his time in the sun someday.

**Guest:** I like to think whoever wrote the script for BvS saw the title to my fic and made the quote based on it. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside.


	5. Chapter 5: Slip And A Fall

**Devil From The Heavens**

_Chapter 5: Slip And A Fall_

_Ame_

To say the trial went badly was putting it lightly. Even with Broly, or probably because of him, he lost two subordinates and he didn't even have the Kyubi to show for it. While they weren't truly needed, it was an unwanted cut to his available resources.

On the bright side, his control hardly wavered even through all the chaos. There a few moments there where it seem to lessen but the amount was minuscule. With time, he would overcome the limitations of the conversion seal.

The Uchiha motioned to Pain and the figurehead activated the kill switch on the Saiyan's chest. The oppressive feeling of the man's power vanished as Madara released his hold.

No point in wasting chakra when he was little more than a civilian without his power.

Broly fell to his knees in surprise. Why would the his oppressor just let him go? Fearing there was little time before he became restricted again, the Saiyan looked out the gaping maw of the balcony and leapt to his freedom without hesitation.

He felt an all encompassing force take a hold of him in mid air and he was ripped back. The orange haired freak had his hand on his throat.

"An admirable attempt," The sarcasm didn't escape the struggling man. "But ultimately futile. Put him away, Nagato."

After some time spent hanging by his neck, he was put behind bars, actual bars of a real prison, and the two left him alone.

Broly quickly got up and put his hands to the cool metal. He couldn't bend them. He struck at the rods with what force he could muster but all it did was make his knuckles hurt.

It was all pointless. He could feel the emptiness of his body and knew what that meant. He was a helpless creature like the rest of them.

The Son of Paragus turned and sat on the floor at the back of the cell. The only noise was the pitter-patter of Ame's endless rain.

Deep within him lay the burning desire to try everything he could to escape but it tempered by the reality of his situation. He only escaped his father because his power was always there; it just needed his anger to be released. Here, he had the anger but everything that made him strong was cut off completely. There was nothing there to be released unless Madara _allowed_ it to be there.

There was no point in hurting himself trying to get free from here. The Saiyan thought back on the brawl that happened mere minutes before. The blonde child, as much as it _sickened_ him to think so, was his only hope.

Hours passed, maybe days given the lack of any real timekeeping, before Broly found himself wanting to sleep. Catching up on some rest was a better use of his time than staring at a wall. As he let himself doze off, he heard a whisper in his ear.

_'Broly...'_

The Saiyan sat up straight as a rod as he looked around his cell once more. Something said his name but there was nothing responsible for the noise.

He couldn't be losing his mind already!

He just got it back!

Shadows moved outside his cell.

A quick shot of resignation blew through his body at the sight of the black robes and red clouds. It was with some relief that he realized it was the woman. It looked like she had some food in her hands. At least, he thought- his stomach growled. At least, he _hoped_ it was food.

Broly stood as Konan put the bowl of sludge that was apparently his meal on the slot in the center of his door. He grabbed the pitiful serving and lifted a brow.

"That's it?"

The gruff comment seemed to rub her the wrong way as she scowled at him.

"You will only get what you need to survive."

That almost, _almost_, made him laugh as he downed the bowl in one quick action.

"You won't have me for long if that's what you think is all I need. Twenty more of those and maybe I won't wither away."

Konan stared at the man unamused by his actions. It was clear he was used to being the superior one in whatever confrontations he was involved in. A habit he would be forced to break.

"Disrespecting your captors is a most unwise decision."

The Saiyan dropped the bowl at her feet and the ceramic shattered. Some of the remaining grool got on her robe. "What are you going to do about it? Kill me?" He held out his arms with a smug grin. "You better do it now while you can."

He scoffed when she didn't budge. Of course she wouldn't save her own world.

Broly moved closer and rested his forehead on the gate to his cell. His gaze roamed over her features. "It's amazing how similar you look to Saiyans yet you're so pathetic." Even Kakarot and his group, the worms that they were, saw what would happen if he were left unchecked and fought him until they couldn't stand.

"It's insulting how you and that orange-haired freak just roll over for Madara while looking the way you do."

Konan felt nothing short of disgust for the man in front of her. He knew nothing of their struggles and yet he passed judgement?

A dozen pages of paper slipped out from the sleeves on her robes. Impotently threatening them was par for the course but insulting Pain and her home? That was unacceptable.

Her face didn't change as they tore into him at her will. He seemed human enough so she avoided any knowingly lethal blows. This was just to inflict pain; not injure. He fell to the side with hardly a sound seemingly preferring to weather the storm than potentially end it early by alerting someone.

Not that it would have.

"It would be folly to kill you, Broly." She said as the paper joined her once more. His cuts would heal within the next few days if his healing was anything like a humans. "You're the key to peace for this world."

Moments passed before Broly gave her a hateful glare. "Stop it. You're so full of shit it makes me want to vomit."

The Saiyan pushed himself into a seated position. If he couldn't break her physically, he'd wear down her spirit. "I've seen this exact thing happen on more worlds than I could count." He gestured in the direction that Madara and Pain walked off to. "It always turned out to be some idiot fooling even bigger idiots into helping them to rule the world." He paused. "Whenever I stuck around long enough to find out."

Konan knew this was just an attempt to weaken her resolve, to make her doubt but she didn't stop the man. She was curious as to where this would go.

"One time when I was much younger, I stumbled upon yet another one of these groups but I was curious..." His tone darkened. His father always told him how the weak would always seek the strong for their own self preservation and this was what truly cemented that lesson.

"Instead of destroying them immediately, I pretended to be on their side for some time. You know what happened right after I helped them win their little struggle?" He chuckled before he hissed from the movement.

A sense of unease crept into her mind though she remained stoic.

"Their leader took control. Killed anyone strong enough to challenge him and forced the rest to submit."

He wanted to laugh but the cuts on his skin kept that idea at bay.

"I got bored by that point so I just slaughtered everyone. Did it a few more times but it was always the same."

Konan saw right through what Broly was trying to do. It was a concept as old as the shinobi world to sow chaos in the enemy camp but what troubled her was the sincerity that she could see in his words.

As far as she could see, he wasn't lying. Then again, lest she forget, he wasn't human. It could very well be that his species' tells were vastly different to their own.

If, _if_, what he said was true, were they just follow the same path as many others before them? It stood to reason that, much like Broly, there were others out there beyond the skies who would appear and act just like humans.

People liked cycles. It's why, no matter how cruel previous conflicts are, they fought again and again. Every time for the same reasons. Land, food, wealth, power...followed by short periods of peace. It's what helped the Akatsuki rise to their current height. The inherent predictably of humanity as a whole allowed them to exploit it.

It wasn't a leap of logic to assume that they, just like humanity, went through cycles of violence and peace with groups like them fighting to break it.

Her will steeled. While it may be true that others just like them had either failed or were merely another cycle, none of them could possibly claim to have Kami by their side.

"We're different."

He shook his head as if she were a hopeless child. It angered her but her expression betrayed nothing.

"You're not...you never are."

* * *

_Konoha_

It was taxing to see the state her teammate was in. Of course, it made perfect sense why he was like the way he was. Gaara and Naruto had a special kinship and the former's funeral was just days before but something just seemed...off.

Even after the third's death, Naruto at least tried to act happy to cover his sadness. It was just how he coped with loss but...

Now it was like a piece of him, bigger than she wanted to believe, was irrevocably lost when the redhead died.

"Naruto..." Sakura put a hand on the blonde's shoulder but he didn't react. "You need to eat."

The shinobi made a barely audible noise in response. The ramen in front of him had long since gotten cold. She sighed, unsure on how to proceed.

"Why do I fail my friends, Sakura?"

The question took her by surprise. "What do you mean?"

His eyes remained locked on the floor as his fists tightened. "I failed Sasuke by not seeing the darkness within him before he left and not bringing him back when he did." Naruto wiped away at his eyes. "And Gaara's dead because I wasn't fast enough to stop it."

"Naruto, you can't blame yourself for Gaara's death. You didn't pull the One-Tails out of him."

"I know but-!"

"No, Naruto." Her face softened along with her tone. "I know it's hard to lose a friend but there's no point in believing that you're at fault."

He stayed quiet and she sighed. It was unsettling how routine moments like these had become. The blond blamed himself, someone refutes him, and he shuts down.

Knowing there was no progress to be made, Sakura stood from her seat. It was time for her to go back to the hospital.

"Can you at least take a few bites before you toss it out?"

A grunt was all she got in response.

Once Sakura was out of sight, Naruto put the ramen to the side and headed to his bed. Normally, he would be out and about on a mission by now but Tsunade let him take some time off to recover. She didn't want him ending up like Kakashi.

As the shinobi laid his head down on his pillow, he felt the presence of something in his room.

Or rather, in him.

**_'Have you decided on what to do?'_**

Naruto winced at the voice. He remembered all too clearly the 'discussion' they had after Gaara's funeral. Discussion wasn't the right word since that meant it was a two way conversation. All he did was listen to the tailed beast.

The room he was in was replaced by the cold, dark sewer of his mind. The fox sat in front of him, a predatory glint in its eyes.

_**'I can make you strong. Truly strong. You will never lose another with me.'**_

The shinobi hesitated to speak. He wouldn't give himself up for the promise of power. Especially not to the Kyubi.

"Why are you trying to help me now? You've never tried before."

The fox unintentionally mimicked him with its own hesitation. _**'I lost a brother to those wretched Akatsuki and I can't do anything about it in this cage.'**_

A flash of guilt gripped Naruto. It made sense that the Tailed Beasts were related somehow but he never saw it like that. IT was more surprising that the fox was capable of something like sadness.

_** 'I want to make them pay with blood and broken bones but I need your help to do that.'**_

It was a strange feeling to relate to something so unlike him though not unfamiliar. He remembered having the same thought once he found out about how Gaara was like him. They shared the same burden but where he had support, Gaara had assassination attempts. It was like looking in a twisted mirror.

That understanding that only came with first hand experience was something that Sakura and the others failed to comprehend. It was why his death hit him so hard.

But relating to someone and trusting them to not stab you in the back were two separate things entirely.

Naruto looked at the Nine-Tails with a hard gaze. "Mark my words, I will beat the Akatsuki but I can't depend on you. Not yet anyways!" The last words spilled out as the Kyubi snarled, apparently displeased with the answer.

"You have threatened me and my friends a lot in-"

_**'Leave me.'**_

The blond shinobi looked down at the ground at the demand. He didn't want to meet the fox's eyes. The Nine-Tails was extending an olive branch and here he was rejecting it. He closed his eyes and faded from the mindscape.

Kurama's lips turned up into a smile once the boy was gone. He was too trusting. So desperate was he to find good in everyone that it was child's play to manipulate the kid.

This was the break in that damnable armor of childish optimism he always wore. They would grow closer together in their shared but ultimately false grief. When the child was at his most vulnerable, he would strike.

He would either break out of his prison or gain control of his vessel. Either way improved his chances against those damned Akatsuki.

Kurama circled in his cage several times before laying down for a nap. All this acting and planning was tiring.

* * *

_Ame_

Pain looked over his village as the conversation with Madara replayed in his head.

It was a brief but tense affair as he questioned why they haven't set the final steps of their plan in motion. They had their super weapon so why are they not using it?

_'My control is not yet absolute. One moment of his freedom is all that is needed to turn all upon which we stand into nothing but loose rubble.'_

His reasoning was sound but there was doubt in his mind. It felt like the Uchiha was hiding something from them all. An underlying motive to his need for the Saiyan.

What could it be?

There was no mistaking that he needed the Biju. His insistence on continuing to collect them was proof enough of that but what else could they possibly be used for? What could someone with all this chakra use it for if not a weapon?

He felt the presence of Ame's Angel before her form fully coalesced behind him. He could feel the reluctance within her. It wasn't unusual for his Paths to elicit that reaction but never from her. Clearly, something was wrong if she came to the closer Deva rather than take the time to go to his true self like she normally did.

"Something is troubling you."

She made her way to his side, unsurprised that he could see right through her. It was a mutual skill they developed in all their years together.

"I had a..." She paused, looking for the right word. "...troubling conversation with our prisoner."

He looked to her, his eyes unblinking. She wasn't one to be easily startled.

"Explain."

And so she did.

The revelation that there were others out there in the reaches of the night sky was not an unexpected one. The Sage spoke of their weapon falling from the stars so it was reasonable to assume there were other celestial beings like him out there.

What had him on edge was how he spoke of their efforts. How conventional they were in the grand scheme of things.

If the Saiyan's words were true, who was their betrayer in this iteration of the pattern?

_'Madara.'_

The name came unbidden to the forefront of his mind but was it unwarranted?

"Do you believe what he says to be true?"

"He has all the reasons to lie."

Pain stayed silent. He knew she wanted to say more.

"But I could not find deception in him. Perhaps the manner in which his species reveal deceit is different than ours."

"Or he's telling the truth."

Silence passed between them as they mulled over the ramifications of the knowledge this celestial being had gifted them.

"I need to think this over. Thank you, Konan."

She left without a trace as she does and he was left alone save for his thoughts.

The Saiyan was smarter than he gave him credit for. Or perhaps this was an unintended consequence of his bravado. To sow doubt in Konan was something he previously thought impossible. Then again, he also thought that beings from other stars were little more than literature devices in myths and legends but there was one down below so perhaps he should reevaluate what he considered possible.

He could feel the doubt spread like a virus within his mind.

Was this an avoidable fate or were they doomed from the beginning?

Broly mentioned that it was the leader that seized control every time. To someone on the outside, that would be him but he truly wanted peace. He had no desire to simply rule the world as it were.

It was Madara. It had to be. His motivations, his true motivations, were a mystery to him and, if Nagato was being honest with himself, he had become more of a figurehead since the Uchiha became involved.

What was he to do?

* * *

Author's Note

I know what it may look like but this won't be a Dark Naruto/Good Broly story. They will both change through the story of course but they will not change in such extreme ways.

Maybe.

At least, that's not the _plan_.

Lemme know your thoughts about the chapter in a review!

Ent out.

* * *

Review Responses!

**TheOnlyKing:** It's for the better, if he just killed everybody there'd be no story!

**The awesome gues:** Goku won't show up for this story. To be more precise, Goku won't have any effect on this story. He might get a cameo but that would be the extent of it.

**fightingchampion**: Naruto isn't the kinda guy to leave someone hanging so he will. The question is if he will ever succeed...

**astral trinity:** Good question! I was purposefully unclear with when Broly landed on the planet because I only had a vague idea of how he would interact with the Tailed Beasts. As it stands, none of them know about the Saiyan's existence. The fight and the decision to seal him away was a brief affair which he declined to inform the Biju about for reasons that will be explored in the future.

**JensenDaniels32:** no (In all seriousness, I won't drag out Broly's imprisonment too long.)


	6. Chapter 6: Legion of One

**Devil From The Heavens**

_Chapter 6: Legion of One_

Given the casualties suffered recently by the Akatsuki, it was pertinent that he made his control over the Saiyan absolute. It had only been two weeks since the Pyrrhic victory of the One Tail's retrieval mission and they had lost Hidan and Kakuzu as well. Sure, they had gain the Two, Three, and Six Tails in the mean time but this was not a sustainable strategy.

Madara walked through the corpses littering the street like a proverbial reaper only this time his hands were mostly clean. Physically anyways. Broly pulled his hands apart and his victim's chest followed in their stead. He tossed the halves of the man away as the Uchiha approached. Another success.

The stench of death was strongest on the Saiyan who was covered in blood and bile. He had wanted to see how the alien fared with only taijutsu. Needless to say, he had done admirably. Of course, there were a few stragglers but he had taken care of them himself.

His control was getting stronger everyday as the intricacies and flaws of the conversion seal on Broly's head made themselves known. For a product of the Sage of Six Paths, it was poor.

Madara waved him off. "Find the nearest body of water and wash yourself off." Broly turned right and moved out of sight to the river right outside the village.

Zetsu appeared behind him and the Uchiha could only sigh. Every time the plant man has shown up lately, it was always a mixed bag of losses and wins.

"What news do you bring, Zetsu?"

"Orochimaru is dead. Felled by Sasuke's hand." The plant creature looked around at the carnage and whistled. "Subtlety is not a strong suit for him, is it?"

There was that bit of good news. The snake was an unpredictable variable in his plans so to see him gone is some relief.

Zetsu's black half's visage shifted into one of disgust. "**From what we've gathered, Sasuke has brought together some shinobi to aid him in killing Itachi. Like he could such a thing.**"

"Pain is going to be calling for a meeting to update everyone in a bit. It seems he's worried about the boy potentially disrupting our plans."

"**More than they've already been?**"

"Well, yes, I'd imagine."

So little Sasuke is finally going to try and kill Itachi. Knowing what he did about the elder sibling, he wouldn't dare kill his brother. Perhaps, once their battle is finished, he could recruit Sasuke and his allies or manipulate them into working for him. The Akatsuki could use some filling out.

Madara felt a ping from the ring on his finger. Good timing on the Rinnegan wielder's part.

Moments afterwards, a holographic form of himself stood in a room surrounded by the rest of the members of the Akatsuki. Broly stood to his left. It was difficult to tether his own ring to the Saiyan's but it allowed him to bring him into the fold without raising suspicion from his subordinates. Kisame was holding the body of the Four-Tails. Good, another one off the list.

The discussion went as Zetsu described with the deaths of their own and Orochimaru being the main talking points. Of course, he'd put in his own interjections as Tobi. It was a tedious task but the more outlandish the personality, the less seriously people would take him.

Now if only he had somebody inconsequential to antagonize. Deidara seemed like he would have been perfect to provide him some brief entertainment but alas, that was not possible.

He eyed Itachi as they spoke about Sasuke and what to do about him. It wouldn't be out of the realm of possibilities for the man to disregard his current mission of gathering the Jinchurikis for a reunion with his brother. In fact, he was certain of it. He'd have to keep an eye on the clan-killer so as to not miss his opportunity to get at Sasuke.

Pain held up his joined hands. "We'll discuss this further once the Four-Tails is sealed."

The rest of the group followed suit as shadowy dragons poured forth from the Gedo statue. Madara glanced at the Saiyan next to him. Ki and chakra were similar enough that, theoretically, there shouldn't be complications from including him in the ritual. He tested it with Nagato not long ago and it went without a hitch as far as they could see.

Most would advise against the use of the alien but with the end goal of his plan so close and losing so many of his assets so quickly, caution was a luxury.

* * *

Naruto was an easy kid to read. Unusual for a shinobi but she thought it to be part of his charm.

So when Tsunade told them that Orochimaru was killed by Sasuke, she expected some celebration on both his and Sakura's part. Of course, she got it but the kid lacked some of the enthusiasm she had hoped to see. It seems Gaara's death still weighed heavily on his mind.

"So...that mean's Sasuke's coming back right?"

The Hokage remained quiet as Jiraiya informed the blond that no, Sasuke wasn't coming back. Righteous anger poured from the Jinchuriki while the spymaster explained that Sasuke still seeked to kill his brother. The whiskers on his face darkened and she could see the Fox's influence color his eyes.

She stepped around the desk and laid a hard hand on his shoulder. "Naruto, calm down." He held onto his anger for a few too many moments before his visage returned to normal. Tsunade glanced at Jiraiya who grimaced at the silent message.

"Sorry, I lost myself there."

It shouldn't have been so easy for the Nine-Tails's chakra to bleed into Naruto like it did in that moment. It took a great amount of rage to draw it out under normal conditions and, while the brat was angry, the mismatch between how mad he was now and how furious he'd normally be for the red chakra to present itself was far greater than reasonable.

Kakashi came in with a hand in his pocket like this was a casual stroll down a street rather than entering the Hokage's office. It would do for the man to show a little more reverence but if the Third couldn't do it, she wouldn't. The slight tension in his body language told her that he was well aware of what had just occurred.

The momentary distraction was a welcome one as the Jonin launched into the briefing for their mission.

Capturing Itachi would not be an easy task but their best chance at finding Sasuke would be to capture his brother. The mention of the Akatsuki caused Naruto's expression to grow more severe. Tsunade briefly contemplated holding back the shinobi from the mission but struck the thought down.

His current emotional state could cause him to be reckless in their fight against Itachi and potentially lead to his capture but he was dead set on aiding in whatever capacity to bring back Sasuke. He'd probably just sneak out of the village which meant they had no way to track him at that point.

As much as she hated to admit, there was lower risk in letting him on this mission.

Once the meeting was over and her office was empty, Tsunade sighed.

"The brat has you worried?"

Coming from Jiraiya, she knew it to be a rhetorical question. Hell, she'd be concerned if the Toad Sage wasn't worried himself.

Oh, what she would do for some sake.

"He's drawing on the fox's power too easily."

"You want me to check his seal?"

Tsunade shook her head. "No, I don't think it's from the seal weakening or anything like that." She thought about his recent behavior and how notably different it was since the failure of the Kazekage retrieval mission. His latest mission talked about the brutality displayed in his disposal of Kakuzu. While it wasn't against any rules or regulations, dismembering an opponent before seemingly wiping them from existence was a concerning course of action. "Gaara's death has affected him on a deeper level than we expected."

Jiraiya grimaced at what she implied. "He's not going to sit still for any therapy or counselling, you know that."

"What do you suggest then?"

He went silent for a moment. "I could take him out to Mt. Myoboku."

She was surprised by the suggestion. "You think training him to be a Sage is what he needs?"

"In order to be a Sage, he has to be at balance both physically and mentally. If anything is going to help him get past this, that is going to be the ticket."

She sat back and thought about the man's suggestion. There was great peril when it came to becoming a Sage. He could just as well turn into a statue rather than heal from his grief.

"I trust your judgement, Jiraiya. If you think he's ready, go for it."

* * *

Another one of the Gedo Statue's eyes opened as the last of the Four-Tails chakra was sealed away. Its pupils had gained a subtle green glow with the end of the ritual. Madara made note of the new development. If ki and chakra could be joined in the same vessel, it could open a whole new world of possibilities.

Pain looked away as if listening to someone who wasn't there.

"One of my spies has informed me that Kakashi and the Nine-Tails have been sent out to retrieve Sasuke along with two platoons of shinobi."

"Really?" Kisame grinned, making a show of exposing all of his razor sharp teeth. "So what's the plan?" Kisame asked as he heaved Samehada on his shoulder. "Go after the Nine-Tails or Itachi's brother?"

"Focus on the Jinchuriki. If Sasuke interferes, dispose of him."

"Ooh! Ooh! Broly and I will grab the Kyubi!" 'Tobi' flailed as he put an arm around the Saiyan. "It'll be fun!" The others didn't react in any meaningful manner as they were all too used to it. Kisame shrugged.

"Fine by me."

"Return to your objectives." Pain began to fade away as did the rest. "Do not fail me."

Madara let go of Broly once they were out of the cave. Itachi would die against his brother as he would refuse to kill his younger sibling but that was a planned loss. No use interfering there though he'd have to be fast with the Kyubi.

This was a prime opportunity to capture the Nine Tails and quicken his plans. Zetsu came up out of the ground behind him.

"Where's the Nine-Tails?"

"About half a days travel to the North of Konoha."

The Uchiha smiled beneath his mask. It seems his bad luck was coming to an end. He grabbed onto Broly's shoulder and the two disappeared in a Kamui.

They reappeared where Zetsu told them and it was but a few moment's effort for him to locate the concentration of strong shinobi traveling through the forest. He looked to Broly and gestured towards the Konoha nin.

"Go forth and bring me the Kyubi Jinchuriki."

The Saiyan leapt high into the sky in search of his prey.

* * *

He saw them within seconds of leaving the masked man behind. Anxiety ate away at him once he spotted the one with blonde hair.

Broly floated down in front of the group in despair. There was the child who he had reached out to. The only one who had an inkling of the hell he was in. Capturing him as Madara commanded would result in the boy's death and his hopes would be dashed away.

Even if he didn't capture the blonde, who's to say his compassion wouldn't diminish in the face of any of his friends' deaths? Madara wouldn't let him pull punches against unimportant targets.

"Holy- he can fly?!" One of them, the pink girl, yelled. The group immediately jumped back and gave him plenty of distance.

_'Keen eyes there.'_ He thought sarcastically as he slipped off the top of the robes he wore. It felt unnatural to fight with clothing on his torso.

Naruto pointed at him, the recognition in his eyes evident. "You're the one who killed Gaara." Several pairs of eyes glanced at the knucklehead in worry. They all knew how the whiskered teen had been handling his grief. The Son of Paragus noted how one girl's blank eyes lingered on longer than the others.

Probably a lover or a particularly close friend compared to the rest. He'd have to _try_ to be careful with her.

Madara, hidden among the foliage, was amused by the Jinchuriki's outburst. The boy was emotional already and not a fist has been flung. Capturing him would be simple.

Kakashi tensed up as he remembered what Tsunade said when he reported what Naruto told him after the failure of the Kazekage Retrieval mission.

* * *

_'You realize the implications of what you're telling me here, right?' Tsunade eyed him like a hawk over her joined hands. 'One of the most powerful shinobi to have ever lived is not only still alive but involved with the Akatsuki and directly controlling one of its members if what Naruto says is believed to be true.'_

_Kakashi could only nod. Her skepticism was completely expected, hell he didn't fully believe himself, but Naruto simply wasn't one to lie._

_'Until we have proof of this, this information is to only be disseminated when absolutely necessary.'_

_'And if we are to encounter this Akatsuki again?'_

_She paused for a few moments. 'Capture him if you can. If you see Madara, flee on sight. No exceptions'_

* * *

"Alright everyone, change of plans!" The Copy-Nin revealed his Sharingan. "Our priority is to subdue the Akatsuki!" The shinobi around him look at him in shock. Kiba was the first to recover. "Wait, what about Itachi?!"

Kakashi gave the feral teen a look that demanded no arguments. "I'll explain later!"

Broly brought forth his immeasurable strength and the air around them became weighed with toxicity. Trees fell in the wake of the winds being generated and boulders cracked from the pressure. The Saiyan smiled which sent chills down everyone's spines.

Sai stood with a bored expression on his face. The only indication that he acknowledged the alien's display was a tighter grip on his sword's hilt. The rest got into various martial arts stances or grabbed weapons from their pouches.

Yamato spoke up with no fear allowed in his voice. "Is that supposed to scare us?"

The son of Paragus held out his fist. Kakashi noticed the shining green light filtering through the man's fingers. The hand opened to reveal a pea sized orb of emerald...charka? That didn't look right. His Sharingan couldn't process what it was seeing.

**_'Take my power.' _**Naruto wanted to argue against the Kyubi but he remembered how the last fight against this man went. He stood defiant against the brainwashed nuke nin with the red hue of the Kyubi's chakra bubbling up around him.

_'I will but this doesn't mean anything.'_

_**'Of course.'**_

Hinata chimed in, her voice trembling. "That isn't chakra he's gathering."

The orb detonated and everything turned green.

Yamato coughed against the wall of wood he summoned at the last possible moment. The former ANBU looked over at his allies and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that his constructs had stood firm.

"Is everything okay?" He yelled as he did a headcount. Everyone was here.

"Get down!" Yelled the Hyuga as Yamato's wall exploded around him. He turned in time to see an arm slam into his chest.

Broly tossed another ki blast as the man he clotheslined bounced away. Sakura came up and crashed her fist against the ground. A block of stone rose up to meet the attack head on. The pinkette as well as the two men behind her were blown away as the shield of rock failed to absorb the entirety of the impact.

He grabbed onto a set of claws that aimed to take his head. A snarling face, draped in crimson, came up behind the limb.

"If what you said is true, fight it!" Naruto yelled as he raised his free hand. The Son of Paragus backhanded the child away. As if it would be so simple to just break free of the masked man's influence. What the hell did he think Broly was doing? Twiddling his thumbs?

He was beset on both sides by Kiba and Akamaru with their Fang over Fang technique. The living drills bit into his skin and it hurt more than he'd like.

As the Saiyan swiped at his current aggressors, Shino summoned a massive swarm of his insects.

"Hinata, follow after my insects. Why? It will distract him from your strikes."

"Right!" She said, her words far more confident than she felt. Her Byakugan was on and focus on this singular target but what she saw simply couldn't be possible. What little chakra he had was concentrated on his skin and there were no chakra points to speak of. Pathways were there but they were far too thick and too few. She wasn't sure if her Gentle Fist could do anything to this man.

Hinata raced off as Shino sent his swarm at the Akatsuki who just freed himself of their team mate.

His body was covered and he struggled against the bugs that ate away at his energy. The Hyuga noticed how some of them dropped dead after a few mere bites. A hole in the swarm opened over the man's abdomen. Her fingertips lit up with power as she prepared to deliver the crippling blow.

She lashed out and it felt she slammed her fingers into a steel wall. Her chakra, meant to slice through the man, was swallowed by whatever flowed through the Akatsuki's system.

Naruto screamed. "Hinata!"

So in shock was she that she failed to react in time to stop the hand from clamping down on her head. The pain was incredible and she screamed.

Broly lifted the kunoichi up to eye level.

"Puny girl."

* * *

Author's Notes

Man was this one hard to write. Not satisfied with it to be honest but it's finished. Anyways, has anyone seen the new preview for DBS episode 75? A female LSSJ! I was so fucking hyped to see that!

I just hope that it's a meaningful addition instead of some bait and switch fantasy sequence or something.

Ent out.

* * *

Review Responses!

**TheOnlyKing:** Disgust is a strong word but yeah, a pitiful amount of them are any good.

**fightingchampion:** Find out next time on Dragon Ball Z!

**Guest:** Liberties were taken to make the story happen. Kinda how fanfics work.

**BeerusUzumaki:** It wouldn't be possible since nobody has any knowledge of Namek, the dragon balls, or can get off world at all.

**NacNak:** Do they have internet on Namek?

**Uzushiogakure:** This is true but, again, fanfic. Genjutsu does only work on chakra but the seal on his forehead allows the conversion of chakra to ki which I believe was touched on in chapter two. I do apologize if that wasn't clear.


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